


Mousing Around in the Pyramid

by Zinzanzelf



Series: Makoto Niijima Week 2020 [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Bad mouse puns, F/M, JKQN, Lord of the Rings reference, Makoto Niijima Week, Makoto Niijima Week 2020, Queen is one big fat Fist of the North Star reference and we love it, Raiders of the Lost Ark reference, Shadow Futaba also wants in, Shoji Meguro character design notes, Squeak!, Squeak..., Squeak?, Summer Vacation, evil coffin shadow, golden ratio pyramids, rattled, self-conscious Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27204154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinzanzelf/pseuds/Zinzanzelf
Summary: No one would’ve guessed they would spend summer vacation in a pyramid, dodging obstacles, avoiding traps, and transforming into a mouse?! A surprise encounter with a coffin shadow “rattles” the team. After the battle, the spell wears off and everyone is back to normal. Except for Joker. Cue mouse shenanigans.For Makoto Niijima Week 2020: Summer/Motorcycles
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Makoto Niijima Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966198
Comments: 15
Kudos: 47
Collections: Makoto Niijima Week 2020





	Mousing Around in the Pyramid

**Author's Note:**

> In summary: A Fruits Basket moment. 
> 
> I hope you had your fill of bad mouse puns!
> 
> Makoto Niijima Week 2020: Free Day will be a few days late. Please look forward to it! 
> 
> Mice sprites from: https://www.spriters-resource.com/playstation_4/persona5royal/sheet/132789/

* * *

“So this is what isolation is.”

Queen crouched on one knee, surveying the desolate desert landscape. The scenery before her was something she thought could only be experienced vicariously through history books or documentaries on ancient civilizations. They were in a deserted town, a tiny mark of civilization in a sea of sand. Its stone houses were dry and cracked, forever baking in the heat of the relentless sun. Dilapidated signs written in Hindi hung over abandoned shops or jutted out the sides of buildings. If one had to guess, they were most likely the name for their respective shops. There was one sign that posed a question and it made her wonder if it might be a manifestation of the Palace Ruler’s inner thoughts. Her shadow before her distorted and shimmered in the heat haze. The arid air dried out her throat. She wiped the sweat collecting in her mask and hoped she wouldn’t get tan lines from being under the sun for so long. She was about to move further into the shade when a familiar frizzy-haired silhouette joined in from her left.

“Queen, what do your elf eyes see?”

She smirked and rolled her eyes.

The two sat in a small alcove above a flat rooftop. There was just enough shade to cool their heads. Joker sat next to her regaining his breath. His bangs stuck to his mask and forehead in clumps. He loosened his collar and mopped up the sweat around his face and neck.

“Where have you been?”

“Climbing here and there.” he replied, indicating at the sun-bleached buildings. “Looking for a vantage point.”

“Aren’t you hot wearing that coat?” she asked, plucking at her scarf.

“I’ll manage.”

He shifted closer to her and flicked his bangs to the side. Their shoulders nearly touched. Queen started and carefully angled herself away from him. If Joker noticed her startled reaction, he made no comment on it.

“I thought we’d be able to cover more ground if we split up. Still nothing, huh?” he said, handing her a bottle of Nastea which she accepted gratefully.

“Nothing but sand as far as the eye can see.” she sighed. “Nothing lives here except for the Shadows we fought. If you count them as inhabitants.”

“And still no sign of our guy.” He pushed his hair back and laughed dryly. “Who’d have thought we’d spend part of summer vacation investigating a pyramid? This is probably the closest I’ll ever come to visiting Egypt.”

“You never know. Do you not like traveling and exploring new places? Or is visiting northeast Africa not on your bucket list?” she teased. She almost asked him if money was the issue but thought twice about it. If such a question had been directed at her, she would have thought it rude even between friends.

He folded his hands behind his head. “I guess I never really thought about leaving the country. I think I’d like to visit Okinawa or Sendai before venturing out. Like a summer road trip with you guys. That’d be so cool. What about you?”

She toyed with the now empty bottle in her hand. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it either. What with college and graduating high school taking priority and all.”

She had been caught off guard by his question. When was the last time someone had earnestly wanted to hear about her interests outside of studying and aikido? She had locked them away so long ago, she found she was unprepared to give an answer. A typical answer like “Kyoto” would have been better than “I don’t know” but then, that would have been discourteous towards him. He deserved an honest answer.

Joker hummed thoughtfully. He removed his mask and set it on his head. She did the same.

“I’m glad there aren’t any Shadows up here. Looks like rooftops are a safe zone.” he murmured and closed his eyes.

“I thought we were supposed to be keeping a vigilant eye out for that bandit?”

He cracked one eye open. “I’m allowed a small break, aren’t I? Besides, I’ve got you as my lookout.”

She smirked. “Don’t think you can just leave me with stakeout duties.”

He smirked back. “You can take a short rest too if you want.”

“What if we miss him?” she asked, allowing herself to lean back against the wall.

“Look, we already tried chasing him. And we tried sneaking up on him, but he just mocks us and disappears and then we’re back to square one. So if he’s sneaking around and we’re sneaking around, we’re never gonna catch him. But if we watch and wait, he’ll show himself eventually. He has to. He’s bored.”

Queen watched the way he toyed with his matted hair. It seemed even the unflappable leader of the Phantom Thieves had some pet peeves. In this case, an irritating bandit that was outfoxing him. She also noted how relaxed he was despite sweating profusely in the sweltering heat and realized she had been playing with the tip of her scarf, considering whether or not to drop it on his sweaty face. She flicked it behind her and drew her knees to her chest. How long would this take? Would they have to come back again on another day? They still had more than twenty days before the deadline but how long could Futaba hold out?

“It’s too bright. Why’s it so bright?” he whined. “We stick out like sore thumbs in broad daylight...”

She looked up at the pale blue sky and squinted at the noonday sun. 

“The sun hasn’t moved. Look, the sun’s at its highest point in the sky and it never moves from that position.” she remarked with sudden realization. “If we didn’t have a watch on us, we wouldn’t have known a few hours have passed since we got here.”

He sat up and scratched his head. “Has it been like that this whole time? You’re probably right though. All the Palaces seemed to stay at a fixed point of time in the day. Or night. Must be a cognition thing or something.”

“It’s like time’s stopped for her. She can’t see past tomorrow.” she mused, resting her chin in her hands. “What a heartbreaking way to live.”

“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” he responded quietly.

He traced the ground with a melancholic expression. She twiddled her fingers.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

He merely shook his head.

“I was just thinking, Futaba’s Palace is such a stark contrast to Kaneshiro’s Palace. They really do vary depending on the state of the person’s mind.” She crossed her arms. “Now that we know Palaces aren’t necessarily engendered by evil desires, I wonder how someone with a rational mind, someone whose worldview operated on rules and cold logic… How would that shape their Palace?”

He frowned. “Who are you thinking of?”

She gasped and held up a hand. “I was just speaking hypothetically! Doesn’t it make you wonder about who can form Palaces and what they might look like?”

“I guess…” 

Her anxious expression worried him but he decided not to press the issue. “But yeah, I kinda get what you mean. This is completely different from a bank and an art museum. No people, no guards, and nothing for miles around. This is probably the biggest and brightest Palace so far.”

“And before that you guys infiltrated a castle, right?”

He pressed his lips together in a tight smile. The last time she had asked he was reluctant to speak, wishing to spare her the details of the perverse and depraved machinations that went on in the mind of Shujin’s former volleyball coach. She thought it would be wise to change the subject.

“Are you sure you’re all right in this heat?”

“I haven’t lived through seventeen years of Japan’s unforgiving summers for nothing! What’s the desert compared to that? I can take the heat!” he said, giving her a crooked smile.

She laughed softly. “Sure you can.”

Unable to resist any longer, she wiped the sweat dribbling down his chin with her scarf. Joker’s eyes widened but he kept absolutely still.

“Uh, thanks.”

Queen felt her face redden when she realized what she had just done. “Oh! I should have asked before doing that. Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” 

He smirked and she felt her face turn a deeper shade of red. If he was going to tease her about it, she would just blame the scorching heat.

“Wait. I think I see him.” Joker flicked his mask down and crept to the edge of the rooftop.

“He just went behind that building. Let’s call the others.”

He dove into the shady alleyway and landed softly on his feet. Queen followed suit. She smacked her fists together. 

“He’s not getting away from us this time.”

Mona rounded the corner with Fox right behind. “Joker, we found him. He’s hiding in an alley two streets down.”

“What’s the plan, Leader?” Skull and Panther emerged from one of the curtained balconies and slid down.

Joker swung up on a dusty parapet. “I’ll get the drop on him. Skull, Panther get into position. Just like guitar case thief, remember?”

“Yeah. Smug bastard won’t even know what hit ‘im.” Skull grinned a shark’s grin and gave his lead pipe a few test swings.

“Guitar case thief?” Queen asked. Fox shrugged.

“We’ll tell you another time.” Panther called back, jogging in the opposite direction of Skull. 

“Let’s head for the square.” said Mona. “Once Joker’s lured him there we’ll box him off!”

The battle was remarkably easy once Joker realized what the bandit’s elaborate movements reminded him of: a flashy swordsman whose swings appeared intimidating at first glance but were actually just for show. And there was one practical and reliable strategy for dealing with such an opponent. He took out his gun, opened fire, and that was the end of the nameless shadow bandit.

***

The team promptly returned to the Great Corridor of the pyramid where Shadow Futaba was waiting. Joker nearly asked her between the falling boulder trap and the annoying scimitar-wielding bandit that made one think, “Why don’t you just shoot him?”, if she had been recently influenced by any films involving an archaeologist on the hunt for a Nazi-melting Ark.

Skull presented the papyrus to the young Pharaoh, eagerly anticipating his reward. He and Panther were both shocked when she handed it back to them.

“That is a map of the tomb, stolen by the bandit to aid in his ransacking of the place.” she explained in a hollow tone.

The old papyrus unfurled revealing hieroglyphics connected to multiple rooms and corridors. Joker glimpsed a painting of a sphinx-like creature. Its head was blotted out with ink.

Queen held out a concerned hand. “Oh… Why are you letting them just do whatever they want? This is your Palace, isn’t it?”

Shadow Futaba turned her lifeless gaze upon her. “All that matters is that the map is now yours. Just come further in and… Oh.”

Everyone felt the ground quake beneath them.

Fox jumped. “What in the…?”

They looked back at Shadow Futaba for an explanation. She disappeared without warning. Panther called after her.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything more, the floor swallowed them whole.

Joker groaned and pulled himself to his feet. “Is everyone okay?”

“Define ‘okay’.” Panther moaned.

Skull coughed and dumped sand out of his boots. Mona scanned their surroundings as quickly as he could, looking for an exit amid the churning waterfalls of sand. Joker had pushed him to safety first, right before the quicksand pulled him under. He noticed Queen was also looking around the Underground Cavern, calmly assessing the situation. One by one each Thief recovered and rose to their feet. Fox however, remained content to sit on the ground.

“So it was just a map.” Fox said mildly.

“Fetch quest complete.” Skull scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“ ** _Ryuji!_** ” Panther exclaimed. “Take this a little more seriously, would you?!”

In her indignation, she had dropped the codename but nobody was about to chide her for that. Skull glared at her.

“What? I can’t be mad? She’s all, _‘help me, help me_ ’ but then she goes and drops a boulder on us! Then she sends us on a little goose chase for a lost item of hers in the stinkin’ heat that turns out to be a **stinkin’ map**! Did I forget to mention she _just_ tried to drown us in quicksand? Does she want our help or **_not_**!?”

“Skull. It’s not her fault.” Fox said sternly.

“She’s alone and afraid. She’s crying out but she doesn’t know how to ask for help. Even though she wants to. So, so desperately.” Queen clutched her chest. “I should know. That’s how I was before I joined you guys.”

Joker’s eyes softened. He came to her side.

“Let’s find a way out of here. We’ll understand her better the more we talk with her. Right?”

He smiled warmly at Queen. She smiled back.

“Right.”

“She’s really is like a _tsundere_.” Fox remarked offhand.

“Fox, that’s not how you use that word.” Panther sighed in exasperation. “But yeah, what Joker said. We can’t give up now. Right, Skull?”

“Dammit!” Skull let out a frustrated roar and shook his fist defiantly at the stone ceiling.

“Futaba, I dunno what kinda crap you’ve gone through but you can’t stay like this! You might’ve given up on people, you might’ve given up on yourself, but not us! That’s why we’re coming for you! No matter what you throw at us! You can’t stop us! YOU HEAR ME?!?!?”

The very foundations of the pyramid seemed to tremble at Skull’s thundering.

“Skull, that was beautifully said!” Panther cried, wiping away a tear. Whether it was mimed or real no one could say.

“Don’t get all weepy on me.” he said, lightly shoving her when she attempted to use his ascot for a kerchief.

Mona chortled. “As far as speeches go, that didn’t sound half bad. For Skull anyway.”

“Can it, you cat!”

Joker and Queen exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.

“We need to find a way up if we’re going to catch up to Futaba. And fast too. I’ve got a bad feeling about these random earthquakes.” Mona pointed at Fox. “What’s the map say? See any stairs?”

Said resident artist and team cartographer turned the papyrus over in his hands and pointed at four different spots.

Panther’s eyes blazed with determination. “Joker, let’s save her! We’ve gotta help Futaba-chan open the door to her heart!”

He nodded. “Everyone, this way!”

The team followed Joker’s lead. He leapt over rivers of sand and boosted himself atop ledges with the help of some conveniently placed sarcophagi. He would also loot the occasional urn or vase for some extra treasure. Mona was always the first one to spot a wayward chest and would always suggest opening them despite being in a rush. Joker would loot those too. Eventually they found an ornate double door, glowing with green hieroglyphs or rather random letters and symbols resembling computer code. Which meant either a switch needed to be activated or a key was required.

Joker led them back down the hall and peered over a ledge. The switch was at the far end of the rampart where a Shadow patrolled back and forth. It stopped right below them.

Queen appeared at his side. “Good positioning. Let’s make a quick move.”

His lips drew back in a devilish smirk and he went in for the kill.

After sweeping the Underground Cavern and Passage of Shadows, the Phantom Thieves ran up a slanted staircase, towards the blinding light, and emerged at the entrance of the Pyramid. It was the same hour in the day. The sun continued to beat down on their heads and daylight seemed brighter than before. The team retreated to the ramp leading back down the Pyramid. Queen suggested they use the Underground Passage as the main entry and exit point. They all agreed. Skull was more than eager to challenge that particularly dangerous-looking Shadow guarding the “coffin room”. 

It appeared to rear up as Joker approached the gateway.

“Welp, we got our way out. Now can we kick that thing’s ass!?”

“Brace yourselves. This is definitely not a normal enemy!” Mona advised.

Joker tugged on his gloves. “Here we go. Queen, Skull, Fox, on my signal.”

They assumed battle positions. Queen on his right, Skull and Fox on his left.

“ _...FOOLISH GRAVE ROBBERS. YOU HAVE ENRAGED THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE._ ” The wraith-like Shadow cried in a fell voice. “ _HENCE, THERE SHALL BE NO PATH FORWARD FOR YOU. IT IS TIME YOU PERISH!_ ”

Joker brandished his knife and kept one hand on his mask.

The Mummy-Wraith Shadow writhed and morphed into a floating coffin.

There were confused blinks all around.

Skull raised a hand. “Question. What the hell is that thing?”

Queen frowned, keeping her brass knuckles up. “I can’t tell what it’s weak against. Keep your guard up everyone.”

The coffin creaked open. Everyone raised their weapon in front of them. Two heavily scarred monstrous hands emerged from the opening. One held the coffin open, the other extended towards the Phantom Thieves. The corpse within flicked its fingers. Joker glimpsed a pair of green feline eyes peering out from the abyss of the coffin, before he heard a surprised shout from Mona and squeaking from his immediate left.

“Fox is just a mouse now! He won’t be much help in battle at this rate!”

Skull’s eyes nearly bulged out of his mask and was clearly trying not to lose it. “Dude, Coffin-Man can turn us into mouses. What the hell?”

“How do we change him back?” Queen crouched defensively. Though she was also disturbed over such a bizarre disadvantage, the strategist side of her was actively searching for any exploitable weaknesses. 

“Beat the crap out of it, of course!” Skull lunged and struck coffin with Captain Kidd. It teetered back and forth. Joker quickly summoned White Rider and had the ghostly warrior loose an arrow through the slit where the Shadow’s hands first emerged. The Shadow’s screeches filled the chamber.

Queen ran up to him. “Nice one! Allow me to follow up.”

Joker grinned and high-fived her. She bombarded the stone with a series of precise punches and one solid kick that sent the Coffin-borne god tumbling down.

“They’re knocked down, Queen! You have them on the ropes!” Mona cheered.

“Now’s our chance!” Joker lead the charge and the team unleashed a volley of attacks on the coffin. Its lid clamped shut.

“That all you got?!” Skull taunted and jabbed the coffin with his pipe. 

One hand popped out and waved at Skull. He froze.

A Lamia slithered onto the battlefield and hissed at him.

“It can call for backup too?” He jumped back and shot a lightning spell. The Lamia dodged it and spat venom at them.

“This is taking too damn long!”

The Slithering Snakewoman whipped her tail and struck at Mouse-Fox. Queen rammed into her. Johanna’s wheels pulverized the Snakewoman to ash. Queen then set her sights on the Coffin-borne god. She was suddenly surrounded by a purple aura.

“Fox, fall back!” Joker yelled.

Mouse-Fox only tilted his head.

“S-squeak? Squeak!”

Joker jerked his head up when he heard squeaking from a second mouse. “Queen! No! Fall back, you two! It’s almost finished. Skull and I will-”

“SQUEAK?!”

A mouse wearing tiny yellow gloves fumed and began kicking up dust on the stone floor, squeaking out an obvious stream of colorful insults and curses at the enemy.

“Skull, you idiot! Do you want to be turned into mouse jelly? You can’t fight like that!” He heard Panther shout from the sidelines. Mona doubled over with laughter and slapped his knees. Even the coffin was teetering back in forth as if the mummy inside was exploding from peels of laughter.

The remaining Phantom Thief stared at his teammates scurrying around his feet. “This is not happening.”

The coffin creaked open. Black nails scraped the edge. There was no time to think.

“Kin-ki! Swift Strike!” he roared. The golden oni slashed the coffin to no avail. Joker had however, prevented it from spawning another ally. He clicked his tongue testily.

“I missed?! Guys, get behind me! I’ll finish it off this time.” The Mouse Thieves gathered around their leader and sniffed at his boots. He clicked his tongue again. “Panther, switch with- _Squeak!_ ”

“It got Joker!” Mona groaned and buried his head in his paws.

“What do we do? We have to get them out of there!” Panther clutched her tail. If she went out there, she would also risk being transformed into a mouse. She also realized in that moment, that as annoying and weird as her tail was, she preferred it a million times over having a mouse’s tail! She needed a distraction if she was going to grab all of them. Fortunately Mona had the same idea.

“Run for it, guys!” He lobbed a black marble. Smoke spewed from its crevices.

But the coffin spun in the air, blowing the Smokescreen away and towered over them. Mouse-Joker valiantly leapt in front of his teammates and held his paws out. Everyone shut their eyes. It slammed down like an anvil but rebounded like a crash test dummy on impact, crashed into a pillar and crumbled to dust.

“Throwing up a shield at the last second. As expected of Joker!” Mona purred.

Panther sighed in relief when she saw a puff of smoke and each Thief turned back to normal. Everyone took a few minutes to look themselves over.

“Thank goodness! Are you guys okay?” she asked, jogging over to the group.

Queen was the first to comment on the situation. “That was probably the strangest in-battle experience so far.”

Skull pinched his cheeks and threw his hands in the air, nearly knocking Panther over in his excitement. “I’m back! I’m back! Woo hoo!”

“O, opposable thumbs! How I shall never take you for granted again!” Fox declared, grandly wiggling said digits.

“It seems the spell breaks as soon as the enemy is defeated.” Queen smiled in Joker’s direction. “Joker, you saved us again! How can we --- Wait. Where is he?”

They looked frantically around the chamber for their red-gloved, black-cloaked leader. The impact must have sent him flying in mouse-form!

Queen swallowed. If there was an unconscious body lying in the dust somewhere, she had to be ready to revive him!

“JOKER! Where’d you go?” Skull hollered. “Say something if you can hear me! Hey!”

Mona’s ears twitched when he heard scratching noises above them. “I hear something up there.”

“Better not be another Shadow.” Skull growled.

Fox leapt gracefully on the head of a sarcophagus and pulled himself over the ledge. Panther used her whip to hoist herself up. Skull gave Mona a boost then clambered after them.

“Joker!” Queen called when she joined them. She scanned the long hallway and between the pillars, keeping her ears pricked. “Did you guys find him yet?”

Panther shook her head.

They overturned pots, checked around the pillars, and tapped random stones in case Joker fell through a secret tunnel.

Mona froze in his tracks. “Uh, guys?” 

They watched the cartoon cat’s pupils grow as wide as dinner plates as he slowly pointed straight ahead. It was another orange-bordered double door with glowing green symbols that required a switch to open it. And someone was trying to reach the lever despite his recently acquired diminutive stature. 

Mouse-Joker pitter-pattered to the lever and leaped at it. And slid down the case. Then leaped again. And slid down again. He sprang to his feet and combed his whiskers. It was then he sensed four and half giants leering at him from behind. When he turned around and saw his teammates staring at him, the way children do when watching a bunch of baby penguins waddle about, he began squeaking ferociously.

“So cute!” Panther squealed. Skull cracked up. Even Fox cracked a rare goofy grin, vastly amused by the farce before his eyes.

Panther giggled and frolicked over to where Mouse-Joker was scratching the stone wall. “Uh-oh. Do you need us to press that wittle switch for you?”

Queen clamped her mask down, hoping her inner feelings wouldn’t show on her face. “Panther stop talking like that. It’s a little undignified. For both of you. And I think he can understand you.”

“I can’t help it. He’s so tiny and cute.” Panther scooped Mouse-Joker up, placed him on the Ankh-shaped handle, and slowly pulled it down.

Stone ground against stone.

“Going down!” she announced cheerfully, like an elevator assistant.

The doors revealed the next chamber: a large pit of sand that resembled an abandoned excavation site. Wooden piers drifted above the lake of sand, forming a shoddy makeshift pathway. There was an ever present humming that seemed to grow louder the deeper they went. Binary code etched on the walls faded in and out like LED Christmas lights. They spotted a couple ornate doors across the room. According to the map, it would lead them to the Chamber of Sarcophagi. But would Futaba be there waiting for them? 

Mouse-Joker hopped on Mona’s head and sniffed the air. Fox kneeled down. “Joker, it’s Fox. Cheesed to meet you. Get it?”

Mouse-Joker looked back and forth at his teammates. Panther held her hand out. He sniffed it then hopped on her palm. Queen’s hand twitched.

Fox held out his hand and watched Mouse-Joker with childlike wonder, as he crossed over from Panther’s hand to his open palm. “He’s like a real mouse, fur and all.”

“And he’s really light! Can I pet you? I’m gonna do it!” Panther squealed again, unable to contain herself and started poking his belly. “So squishy. He’s like a marshmallow! Like squeeeeeesshh!”

Two other gloved hands, yellow and light blue joined in the poking. Mouse-Joker flopped on his back and squeaked for mercy. They cackled like wild hyenas.

“He’s so ticklish!”

“How does his mask stay on like that?”

“Lemme pet him next.”

“No me!”

“Lookit the little mouse gloves!”

Queen plucked Mouse-Joker from the curious hands of her teammates.

Panther made a swipe for him. “No fair, Queen! I was next! You can’t hog mousy-Joker to yourself!”

“Mouse-hog! Queen’s a mouse-hog!” said Skull in sing-song.

She glared her signature Niijima glare. Skull dived behind Panther.

“Everyone, I think we should concentrate on the current situation. Why have we turned back when Joker hasn’t?” She turned to the resident Metaverse expert. “Mona?”

“Beats me.” The cat replied with a shrug. “Maybe because he got hit last? But don’t worry! He should be back to normal soon. Probably.”

“Probably!?” Her mouth dropped open in abject horror. Mouse-Joker looked up at her with sympathetic mouse-eyes.

“Well, how should I know? This is the first time I’ve seen something like this happen!” Mona waved his arms exasperatedly.

Skull rolled his eyes. “That’s been your answer for literally everything lately.”

Mona wheeled on him and unsheathed his claws. “What’d you say, Bonehead?!”

“You wanna go, Cat?”

“Cut it out, you two!” Panther rapped them both sharply across the head.

“He might be a mouse now but he’s still our leader.” Fox bowed his head. “Apologies, I couldn’t help myself for some reason. Joker, what should we do now?”

Queen nodded assent. “The door opened for us but should we keep going? Joker, what do you think?”

“Are we sure he can understand us?” Skull asked, rubbing his head.

“Squeak once for ‘yes’. Twice for ‘no’.” Panther said, as if instructing a precocious toddler.

Mouse-Joker folded his stubby arms and tapped one foot on Queen’s palm.

“I think Joker won’t deign to be reduced to such rudimentary forms of communication.” said Queen, with a laugh.

“Squeak.”

“There you have it. Queen’ll be the mouse’s official spokesperson.” Skull grinned but Queen sighed and would have pressed her index finger to her forehead out of habit, if not for Mouse-Joker cupped in her hands.

“There’s no need for that. Focus everyone! We need to find Futaba. I believe we’ve cleared this area of Shadows. Mona, are there any remaining?”

“Nope. This floor’s free to explore if we want.”

Fox adopted The Thinker’s pose. “So then, our options are to wait for the spell to wear off or look for clues on this floor.”

Panther chimed in. “How about we explore as far as we can for the time being?” 

“Screw waiting. I’m with Panther. Let’s head for the Treasure! And if we run into any Shadows we just beat the- I mean we...play defense...” At the sight of both Panther and Queen’s sharp glares, Skull decided it was best to shut up.

Queen had to agree with their sentiments, especially if time was of the essence. The longer they waited, the further Futaba would be. “We should make sure we don’t get reckless though. It’s better to proceed one step at a time.”

“What say you, Joker? Do we proceed or do we return to the entrance?” Fox asked.

Mouse-Joker bobbed his head up and down and wiggled his tail, squeaking all the while.

Everyone was making the dopey face again.

“Joker sounds like one of those vids on fast forward.” Skull chortled. Panther smothered her giggles into his back.

Fox bobbed his head up and down in time with Mouse-Joker’s hops. “I got it!”

“You know what he’s saying?” said Mona.

“Yes! Mouse Code!”

Everyone stared at him blankly.

“Get it? Not Morse Code but-”

“Haha. Very funny.” Skull deadpanned. “Now can we get on with-”

Fox hoisted Mouse-Joker by the scruff of his neck and dangled him over his nose. “Look! He becomes a mouse-tache!”

“Stop that! He’s not a toy!” Queen snapped and snatched Mouse-Joker back safely. His tail curled around her finger. “You’re supposed to support their bottoms like this so they feel safe.”

Fox shook his head, slightly dazed. “My apologies again. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

A orange hair antennae poked Fox’s arm.

“Hmm?” He looked down. A glasses-wearing, orange-haired pharaoh draped in royal linen robes hovered at his side. Her golden eyes gleamed with immense curiosity. “ _Cute…_ ” they seemed to say.

“Hello there, Futaba. Would you like to pet him as well?” Fox said amicably, as if greeting a fellow classmate who had just dropped in the conversation. Everyone looked in his direction.

“FUTABA!” They all shouted in unison.

The little pharaoh scurried away as fast as her little legs could carry her.

“After her!” Skull shouted.

“AHH! Guys, wait! The traps!” Mona scrambled after them, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Queen suddenly found herself alone in a deserted passage with Joker in the literal palm of her hand. They looked at each other, then in the direction their teammates had run off to, then back at each other. 

Queen gave an awkward laugh and hung her head. “What a day, right? We caught a thief, almost got buried in quicksand, and now I’m talking to a mouse. And we have no idea how to change you back. Oh, I hope it’ll be okay.”

Mouse-Joker patted her thumb with a tiny paw. Queen had to resist the urge to cuddle him. But she allowed herself to raise him to eye level. They were close enough to bump noses if they so wished.

“Are you trying to make me feel better? Thanks. And don’t worry. If you’re still a mouse in the real world, I’ll take care of you until you’re better. Although, what kind of food would be safe for a mouse to eat? Back in elementary school we fed our mice carrots and grapes. And pellets of course. But I don’t think you’d enjoy eating pellets, would you?”

He gazed at her with the round, wet, shimmering eyes of a mouse and began grooming his ears vigorously. 

Was it possible for mice to blush?

Queen couldn’t help but giggle at the silliness of the situation.

_This is all so surreal. Like something out of a fairy tale. Or a shojo manga I’ve read before. A girl who meets a boy who transforms into a rat because of a family curse. Come to think of it, you share some similarities with him. He’s described as prince-like and was always a gentleman to the heroine. But to me you’re more…_

“Squeak?” He pointed at the next room. She nodded.

“Alright, Joker! Let’s catch up to the others.” She carefully lifted him towards her shoulder. “I’m going to summon Johanna, okay? You can ride on my shoulder.”

Mouse-Joker hiccuped. Without warning there was a puff of smoke and the mouse un-transmogrified into a boy. The spell finally wore off. 

What should have been a moment of relief for the two had instead become a nerve-wracking situation, for Queen suddenly found herself face-to-face with Joker.

She could see everything from the grooves in the black outline of his mask, to the whites of his eyes, to his pupils, dilated. She felt his breath on her face. The tips of their noses were mere millimeters from another. She wasn’t sure if the clinking sound she heard earlier was due to their masks colliding or if she had just imagined it.

And he wasn’t moving out of the way. Why wasn’t he moving out of the way?!?

A strange, strangulated noise escaped from the back of his throat. 

“Push me back.” he croaked.

“Eh?” she squeaked.

His eyes shifted down then back to her causing him to slide forward. She craned her neck back in alarm.

“My balance. I can’t-”

“Oh! Sorry! Hold on. Let me just-”

It was then she realized he was slanted forward on the tips of his toes and they were about to give way. She carefully set him back on his feet and stepped back to give him some space. He heaved a long sigh of relief and began rubbing his shoulder.

“Welcome back.” she said shyly.

“Y-yeah. Good to be back.” he replied, trying to regain his bearings.

“What happened? Were you having too much fun being a mouse?”

“That’s what I want to know.” He laughed dryly. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know I was going to change back until it was too late. I wound up leaning my full weight on you.” 

He paused and looked directly at her causing her heart to skip a beat. “You’re actually pretty strong, Queen.”

“N-no. I’m not really all that strong.” She began tugging at the ends of her hair. “I’m just, um, glad you’re back to normal now. Getting turned into a mouse shouldn’t cause any negative side effects, right?” 

He kept rubbing his shoulder. She winced and clutched her chest.

“I’m sorry. That must’ve hurt.”

“What?” His head snapped up, alarmed at how despondent she sounded.

“Because of these.” She pinched the spikes protruding from her shoulder pads. “I should’ve realized sooner.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t hurt me. In fact if you didn’t catch me, I would’ve fallen flat on my face. _That_ would’ve hurt.”

She smiled ruefully. 

“Besides, this coat’s pretty thick. See for yourself. I’ve tanked a couple bullets and wind spells in this thing. Spiked shoulder pads? No problem.” 

“And you move so fluidly in it too. Compared to my outfit. Spikes all over.”

“Has that been bothering you?” he asked gently.

She fidgeted with her hands and cast her eyes downward. “I’ve been told I’m hard to approach and I keep people at a distance. My outfit seems to reflect that part of me. This armor, my mask, they only serve to protect myself.”

He walked over to her until they were standing half a space apart.

“Can I tell you what I see? I see strength in you. And you use that strength to protect us. Out of all of us, you’re the one who fights the hardest, Queen. And you’re always prepared to defend or attack if one of us goes down. It’s no wonder you want to be a policewoman.”

He meant it. Ren’s words could be trusted and she felt strengthened by them. She looked up at him and smiled. He returned it.

“Now in my case, people could say this outfit brands me as a psychotic, low-life criminal. Take these red gloves, for example.” He splayed them between their faces. “At the beginning I wondered, why red? You could say it was because my hands are bloodstained with guilt, couldn’t you?”

She shook her head firmly. “No. Not in this case. You’re innocent.”

Innocent. She believed him. He lowered his eyes and his mouth pulled into a small, gentle smile. 

“Thank you, Joker.” She laid a hand on his chest. Warm light imbued them. His fatigue ebbed away and he felt lighter on his feet. 

“Wait… You’re supposed to save this for battle.”

She smiled and slowly withdrew her hand. “They say red is the color of rebellion, right? If you ask me, you’re rebelling against that label.”

His small smile morphed into his usual smirk. “You see? It’s all a matter of perspective.”

“You have such an interesting way of looking at things. I think I can learn from that.”

He inclined his head. “I try. Otherwise I’d stay stuck in my head all the time. Not a good place to be.” 

She nodded. It was something she was working on herself.

“And another thing. If you were in danger, I’d tackle you out of the way without a moment’s hesitation, spikes and all.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.” she replied with a wry smile. “I think we’ve spent enough time here. Let’s hurry and find the others. They couldn’t have gone far.”

She sprinted towards the open doors.

“Queen! What about Johanna?”

She skidded to a halt. Joker strode towards her with his hand in his pockets. 

“Your idea from earlier… Don’t you think we’d cover more ground with her?”

“True, she could carry two people. But I thought our Personas were immaterial with the exception of the user -” She stopped, remembering the little stunt Joker pulled when he dared her to a game of chicken. She succeeded in coming between him and the speeding train, which resulted in him somersaulting over her and landing gracefully on the back of her bike. He praised her for her agility and cunning and that day, she began seeing the leader of the Phantom Thieves in a slightly different light. 

“Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?”

“I can ride a bike. Should be the same more or less, right?”

She smirked and called forth her Persona. He smiled upon seeing Johanna’s serene face. She seemed to greet him with a low rumble. She was raring to go.

Queen motioned to him. “Mount from the left and put your feet on the sides. You can use my shoulder to stabilize yourself. No, don’t put your feet on the stops. Not there either. There. Good.” 

He did as she advised and placed his hands on the backrest. She glanced back at him. “You need to hold onto me.”

“I have to?”

“I don’t want you to go flying when I gun it.” She revved the engine. _Hurry it up. We're losing them._

Joker swallowed. 

Whereas Makoto expressed her dislike for certain aspects of her Phantom Thief outfit, Ren found plenty to appreciate up close. He could see the curves of her svelte frame, the way her spine and shoulder blades rippled and coiled as she maintained her bike’s balance. And it really did show off her backside. He shook his head clear of those thoughts. 

“Right. So...”

His arms cautiously encircled her waist. Her breath hitched.

“Sorry. Was that too tight?”

She shook her head. This was yet another instance she was thankful that her mask covered half her face. “N-not enough actually. You need to grab on like your life depends on it.”

She took a deep breath, gripped his forearm, and pressed it against her abdomen. Joker made the same strange, strangulated noise from earlier.

“Lock your arms around me like this, okay?” she managed to explain calmly, in spite of her thundering heartbeat. “This is all part of riding safely.”

“Right. Safety. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

His chest pressed against her back. She could feel his mask brushing her hair. And she smelled coffee on him.

“Um, how’s this?” he said, right next to her ear.

“Y-yeah. Just like that. When we make the first turn, don’t lean against the turn - relax. Or just do what I do.” she added, upon seeing his puzzled expression.

He grinned widely. “I can do that.”

“Here we go.” She faced the road now, hiding her growing smile. His grin was contagious.

“Gun it!”

They made a few loops around the open floor, getting the timing down for accelerating, turning, and stopping. Queen would tell him when to lean, when to make adjustments, and how to ride the momentum. She was surprised how natural it all felt and how quickly she adjusted to riding with a passenger.

“How are you doing?” she called over the wind whipping through their hair.

“Easy. Just like riding a bike!” Joker remarked. Queen laughed. She was sure it was thanks to the physical enhancements granted by the Metaverse.

She accelerated and bunny hopped over the wooden planks all the way across. They were forced to dismount when they came the same set of ledges from the Underground Cavern. Futaba’s Palace was beginning to feel like an ascending obstacle course at this point. 

“Skull would be so jealous if he saw that.” Joker vaulted up the ledge and pulled Queen up with him. “Is this what it’s like for you all the time?”

“Exhilarating, isn’t it?”

Her eyes sparkled with vivacity and it made him smile all the more. He squeezed her hand before releasing it.

“We should do this again sometime.”

“Eh? Where?” She looked about, assuming Joker had spotted another vehicle-friendly pathway.

“Mementos, of course.” he answered, with a mischievous grin.

She folded her arms. “You’re not thinking about racing the train again, are you?”

“Nah. I’m talking about coasting through the tunnels. And at Johanna’s speed, we’d easily outrun any Shadows that tried to chase us.”

The glint in his eyes was enticing. It was an invitation to venture out of her comfort zone. Admittedly, testing Johanna’s driving capabilities outside of battle was something she had always been curious about but was eschewed in favor of conserving precious stamina for fighting. She shifted her weight to the side, trying to act nonchalant about it. “I suppose, if the opportunity arises. Actually with you, it’s-”

The walls of the Underground Passage rumbled. They heard a stampede rush towards them.

“GANGWAY!”

Joker and Queen sensed four beings above them and immediately sprang back.

Skull crashed to the floor. Panther and Fox crashed-landed on top of him. Mona used Skull’s head as a landing pad and flipped to the side.

“Promise me, we’ll never do that again.” Panther groaned.

“Guys!” Joker exclaimed in surprise.

Queen gave Panther and Fox a hand. “Is everyone alright?”

“Yo, Joker!” Skull crawled out of the dog pile and rocketed to his feet like the tank he was. “‘Bout time you showed up! We were worried about you, man.”

“So nice to see your concern for my safety.” he said, flatly.

Skull balked. He had the feeling Joker planned on putting him on the front lines, the next time they ran into the mysterious Shadow Coffin. “My bad! You can get mad at me later!” 

Panther peeked from behind Skull’s shoulder and nodded vigorously. “We’re sorry, Joker! You can punch Skull in the face after this. I’ll even hold him down for you.”

“HEY! I can’t believe you’d throw me under the bus-”

“But let’s save Futaba-chan first!”

Joker chuckled softly. With friends like these...

“Show me where you guys have been so far. At what point did Futaba disappear?”

While Mona filled him in, Panther eyed Queen curiously, trying to put the pieces together. She felt her heart jump to her throat for no good reason and averted her gaze with a slight shake of her head. 

“See? I knew the spell would wear off on its own. But seriously!” said Mona. “What have you been doing all this time?”

“Ah well, you know.” said Joker, exchanging a wry glance with Queen. “Just mousing around.”

A collective groan echoed through the Chamber of Sarcophagi and rose to the top of the pyramid.

Fox snapped his fingers. 

“I get it!”

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes/Ramblings:
> 
> -Soejima on Makoto’s character design: “I had trouble determining Makoto’s position as a character and I went back and forth drawing many different versions of her personality. I considered her to have a harsh personality and pictured her to be sensitive, serious, and uptight during the designing process. However, this isn’t Makoto’s real personality and rather a reversal of her fragile, anxious qualities. Her Phantom Thief outfit is representative of Makoto’s frustrations transformed into anger. It’s an embodiment of the unconscious and psychological spikes she covers herself with. Her iron mask is there as a means of defense; She’s hiding away from others. I added a scarf so her silhouette doesn’t look too simple. At the beginning I had plans for Makoto to be a well-rounded character who takes care of her body by working out.”
> 
> -Queen is basically one big, fat, Fist of the North Star shoutout from her spiked shoulder pads to Johanna as a motorcycle and we love it.
> 
> -There are signs in Hindi around the desert town in Futaba’s Palace. They say things like “luminance”, “I’ve always known the truth”, “The world is a maze”, hinting further at Futaba’s state of mind.  
> -Thanks to redditor Iko_ss for sharing this detail!  
> https://www.reddit.com/r/Persona5/comments/gxuzr0/slight_environment_spoiler_found_an_interesting/
> 
> -This story draws inspiration from one of the Persona 5 Anthology comics. Joker is “rattled” and the team watches him fail adorably at opening doors with these dopey, heart-eyed faces. Then they start playing a game of “poke the (mousy) leader”. Shadow Futaba appears out of nowhere, wanting to pet Mouse-Joker too. They notice her, she flees, they run after her, and Joker is left alone with Mona who pats him on the head.
> 
> -Also from PixieRed’s “[The First Time They Knew](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17419376)”. There’s a short vignette of the team taking a water break in Futaba’s Palace where Fox quietly observes Joker looking at Queen warmly - and that’s when he sees there’s something special between them. And he keeps the moment to himself like a personal treasure. It’s simple and poignant and very Yusuke. 
> 
> -Stuck in an uncreative mode, I didn’t think there was much Shumako potential in Futaba’s Palace aside from what’s already there, plus writing about the Metaverse doesn’t come easily. But after reflecting more on that poignant moment and meaningful glances by Joker, I wanted to try something myself.
> 
> -The story turned out longer than expected as I wanted to include both the rooftop conversation and the “Fruits Basket” moment. I still think the story needs some work as it follows a similar pattern to “Train, Train Take Us Away”, though I am pleased with Skull’s speech.
> 
> -Speaking of! Joker, Queen, and the game of chicken on the tracks is a reference to my story for Makoto Niijima Week 2019's most challenging prompt (for me): "[Train, Train, Take Us Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20695613)". My favorite part was working in an AKIRA bike slide reference somewhere. Because motorcycles.
> 
> -The guitar case thief is a reference to one of the drama CDs “Mission Untouchable” where Ryuji brings the group to Untouchable for the first time. A pink whip catches Ann’s eye but everyone’s too broke to afford it. Iwai strikes a deal with the core Thieves: deliver a guitar case, no questions asked and the whip is theirs - for a huge discount. Little do they know, their first “mission” gives them more than they bargained for!
> 
> -Makoto mentions sometime between October and November she was aware that her sister had a Palace for a while but the game never specifies when exactly. And no one bats an eye at this revelation. “Thanks for adding to the exposition, Makoto! Moving on!”  
> \- If I had to hazard a guess, it would be around July when she learns of the protagonist’s backstory and why he lives in Leblanc. When Ryuji asks her if there’s someone’s heart she wants to change, she responds “...That’s a secret.”


End file.
